Chewing Gum Is Good For Your Brain

It may not be the best thing for your teeth, but chewing gum could be a good thing for your brains. According to a study, chomping away on a piece of gum boosts your thinking and alertness.

The same study reveals reaction times among chewers are up to 10 per cent faster. Yes parents, there appears to be something finally coming out that is positive in chewing gum!!

The Japanese research published in the journal Brain and Cognition suggests as many as eight areas of the brain are affected by the simple act of chewing. Volunteers took part in this study and were assigned tasks while chewing gum. In the process, their brains were scanned while chewing gum and performing the tasks at hand.

If there is one down side to the research, it suggested chewing gum could interfere with short-term memory. I guess we can take our pick then---improve our levels of alertness or damage our short term memory.